take off — become successful
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To suddenly become popular or successful.
Say it like a native
Textbook The enterprise experienced rapid commercial growth.
Native The business really took off.
'Take off' is the everyday verb for sudden success; 'experienced rapid commercial growth' is report-speak.
Pattern: take off (no object)
In use
- Her online business really took off last year.work
- Social media platforms have taken off in recent years, changing the way people communicate.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Her channel took off successfully.
✓ Her channel really took off.
'Take off' already means become successful — don't add 'successfully'. Use 'really' for emphasis.
Common collocations
take off + success— the business, her career, the app, really
Don't confuse it
Different from 'start', which just means to begin.
Related
- take off (plane leaves the ground) — Another meaning of 'take off' is 'plane leaves the ground'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.